Oar actuating apparatus



June 1, 1943. J. v. L. SERTIN 2,320,664

OAR ACTUATING APPARATUS Filed April 17. 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J1me 1943; J. v. 1.. SERTIN 2,320,664

OAR ACTUATING APPARATUS Filed April 17, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet? 78 X0144 m" fwz'n Patented June 1, 1943 2,320,664 OAR ACTUATIN G APPARATUS Jean Victcr Lucien Sertin, Paris, France; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application April 17, 1940, Serial No. 330,219 In France April 26, 1939 Claims.

This invention relates to'improvements in oar actuating apparatus, and particularly in oar actuating apparatus of the kind which enables the rower to sit facing the bow.

A first object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind which is very light in weight and easily erected on a boat and removable therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind which may be mounted on all types of row-boats, even on foldable and/or flexible boats, and may be easily handled with a single hand, if needed.

A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind which enables the amplitude of movements of the rower and the extent of immersion of the car blades to be varied according to rowers will.

A still further object is to provide an oar actuating apparatus in which a rotation of the oar blade from a substantially horizontal plane during the return stroke to a substantially vertical plane during the motor stroke of the blade, and vice-versa, is automaticallyobtained through the vertical displacement of the oar loom.

These several advantageous objects are accomplished by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, constituting an important part of this disclosure and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus in its two working positions;

Fig. 2 is a side View, partly in section, of the oar rocking mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a top view corresponding to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the rocking axis of the rocker;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the rocker, at right angle to the section shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows in two extreme positions a member for axially turning the boat oar located in the rocking mechanism of the apparatus;

Fig. 7 is a top view of the inner end of the rocking mechanism of the apparatus;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view near the inner end of the rocking mechanism of the apparatus;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. '7.

The apparatus illustrated in figures is substantially formed to a deformable pentagon constituted by a hand control bar I, two connecting rods 4-4 and two arms l2-l2 pivotally mounted to oscillate on a stub shaft [4 rigidly mounted in the central portion of a boat hull.

threaded ends of rods 4, while the other ends of rods 4 are formed each to an internally threaded eye into which isloosely screwed a threadedangular extension of a hook 5. The hook 5 at its base is provided with an internally threaded eye loosely screwed on the threaded tubular end of an outerly open sleeve 6 (Fig. 4) rigidly bolted to an outer end of the centrally oscillating arm I 2. Located in the sleeve 6 is a strong spiral spring H one end ofwhich is is rigidly fastened to said extension of the oscillating arm, while the other end thereof is rigidly connected with collar I0, by means of a slot in said collar, to form a trunnion for an oar rocker 8, this trunnion thus being supported by said spring within the sleeve 6. Enclosing the rocker trunnion and the spring H is a casing l3 suitably fastened to the outer end of the oscillating arm I2.

The oar rocker 8 carries a pin 9 on which is mounted a ring 1 enclosing the oar rocker, 8, this ring I having a bossage adapted to be acted upon by the end nose of the hook 5. Blocking up the ring 1 is a tubular member I5 rigidly partly enclosing the oar rocker shell 8 and extending beyond the inner end of the latter. Rotatably mounted on two sets of ballbearings within the tubular member I5 is a tubular member I! (Figs. 3 and 7) transversely slotted near its end so as to grip, by. means of wedges I8 and I9 and a lever 20 (Fig. 9), the oar loom axially introduced into the tubular member ll. The tubular member l5 carries a pin 2| (Fig. 8) on which is hinged one end of a cradle [8, while the other end of the latter carries a pin. 22 adapted to ride in an elongated slot in a lateral projection of the tubular member IT. The cradle I6 externally of itsflpivot has a cammed portion adapted to ride on the horizontal oscillating arm IL for the purpose of changing the plane of the oar blade, from a substantially horizontal plane to a substantially vertical plane,'or vice-versa. When the oar blade is in its raised out of water position, the blade is in its substantially'horizontal position, and the cradle I5 is in its low position (Fig. 6). When, however, under the action of this hook 5 upon the bossage of ring 1,

by pressing down the control bar I, the oar blade is plunged into water the cradle I6 is in its high position (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6) having turned the oar blade to its substantially vertical position.

It is to be particularly noted that the car rocking and blade plane changing mechanism of the apparatus are comprised in one self-contained movable unit which insures by wedging a gripping efiect upon the oar both in lowering the car blade and axially rotating the car, this effect keeping on increasing as the oar blade is being lowered against the action of the spring 'I I and under the action of a downward pressure upon the control bar I, the latter action bein transmitted by a strong leverage to the bossage of ring 1 and thereby to the cradle [6, the spring l l then reacting to automatically throw the car blade out of water as soon as the control bar I is raised. I

When the control bar I is caused by the rower to move cylindrically or elliptically as shown by the arrows of Fig. l, or approximately so in the direction from and to, so that both boat oars successively and simultaneously plunge into water and then emerge therefrom, the boat will progress substantially in a straight line and of course in the direction of the rowers seeing, or regress if the bar is moved in the opposite direction, the onlyreal efforts to be furnished by the rower substantially consisting in pressing down the bar.. If the control bar I is moved conically, or approximately so at will, with or without horizontal displacements of the bar, veering or any other desired manoeuvring of the boat will result. Evidently, the boat oars may also be operated in a pagay manner, i. e. by operating the cars alternately on the right and on the left.

By maintaining the connecting rods 4 substantially horizontal a same regular immersion of both oar. blades can be attained throughout the immersion stroke. On the contrary, in their position of emersion the oars have the tendency to somewhat raise in the beginning and at the end of the stroke owing to the obliquity of the connecting rods relatively to the horizontal oscillating arms.

If it is desired to exactly conserve the similitude between the lowering of the control bar and-that of, the oar whatever the point of the stroke under consideration, it will sufilce to modify the angle between the connecting rod and the oscillating arm, in the horizontal plane, by suitably modifying their junctions.

Ina two rowers boat, if there is insufficient space between the rowers for putting in the second apparatus, the latter may be so installed that one of the rowers will be placed between the apparatus .pivot and the control bar.

It will be evident that the apparatus of the invention may very readily be removed from the boat, folded and even taken to pieces without being injured in any way, for the purpose of convenient transportation thereof.

The apparatus as hereinabove described and illustrated may be constructed from tubular or any othersuitable elements which may be interconnected in any desired manner without de parting from the scope of the invention, provided that the pentagon above referred to, or any other polygon, or structure formed thereby be readily deformable for the purpose of its practical use. Also, the control bar as well as the connecting rods and oscillating arms may be made adjustable, and the central pivot may be made to run on ball bearings and adjustable to the boat mast if any; other modifications in detail may also be made in the construction of the car rocking and blade plane changing mechanisms, and the spring thereof may be made otherwise and adjustable at will, or even replaced by' a block of rubber; the control bar may be replaced by two hand grips, or by a suitable frame which would permit for example two rowers to operate the same apparatus.

When each rower should operate but one single car, the apparatus of the invention may be split into two halves, one for each, the pivot or pivots then being if necessary located as the boat may permit.

What I claim is:

1. In an oar actuating apparatus, in combination, two arms both horizontally pivoted at one end about a pivot secured on the axis of the boat, two rockers each mounted on the free end of said arms and adapted to rock in a vertical plane, two oars each fixed in one of said rockers, resilient means cooperating with said rockers and normally maintaining them in a position where the oar blades are out of water, a control bar connected with saidarms by means of connecting rods, and means carried by said connecting rods and adapted to promote rocking of said rockers when the control bar is downwardly displaced. I

2. In an oar actuating apparatus, in combination, two arms both horizontally pivoted at one end about a pivot secured on the axis of the boat, two oars each fixed in a rocker mounted on the free end of each of said arms and adapted to rock in a vertical plane, a bossage on each of said rockers, resilient means cooperating with said rockers andnormally maintaining them in a position where the car blades are but of water, a control bar, and two connecting rods each connected at one end with said control bar and pivoted at the other end on an extension of a hook mounted to rotate on said arm, said hook bearing on said-bossage so as to produce immersion of the car blade when the control bar is downwarly displaced.

3. In an oar actuating apparatus, in combination, two arms both horizontally pivoted at one end about a pivot secured on the axis of the boat, two rockers each mounted on the free end of said arms and adapted to rock in a vertical plane, two oars each fixed in one of said rockers through a tubular member, resilient means cooperating with said rockers and normally maintaining them in a position where the oar blades are out of water, means carried by said tubular member and cooperating with said arms to promote a rotation of about of said tubular member when the rocker is moved, a bossage on said rocker, a control bar, and two connectin rods each connected at one end with one extremity of said control bar and pivoted at the other end on an extension of a hook mounted to rotate on said arm, said hook bearing on said bossage so as-to actuate the rocker and to produce immersion of the car blade when the control bar is downwardly displaced.

4. In an oar actuating apparatus, in combina tion, two arms both horizontally pivoted at one end about a pivot secured on the axis of the boat, two oars each fixed through a tubular member in a vertically oscillating rocker mounted on the free end of each of said arms by means of a spiral spring adapted to maintain said rocker in a position where the car blades are out of water, means carried by said tubular member and cooperating with said arms to promote a rotation of about 90 of said tubular member with respect to said rocker when the latter is moved, a bossage on said rocker, a control bar, and two connecting rods each connected at one end with one extremity of sa d control bar and pivoted at the other end on an extension of a hook mounted to rotate on each of said arms, said hook bearing on said bossage so as to actuate the rocker and to produce immersion of the oar blade when the control bar is downwardly displaced.

5. An oar actuating apparatus which comprises, in combination, two arms both horizontally pivoted at one end about a pivot secured on the axis of the boat, two oars each fixed through a tubular member in a vertically oscillating rocker mounted on the free end of each of said arms through a spiral spring adapted to maintain said rocker in a position where the car blades are out of water, two cradles each hinged with respect to said rocker and articulated at one end With a lateral projection of said tubular member, the other end of said cradle forming a cammed portion riding on said arms to promote rotation of said tubular member with respect to said rocker when the latter is moved, a bossage on said rocker, a control bar, and two connecting rods each connected at one end with one extremity ofsaid control bar and pivoted at the other end on an extension of a hook mounted to rotate on each of said arms, said hook bearing on said bossage so as to actuate the rocker and to produce immersion of the oar blade when the control bar is downwardly displaced.

JEAN VICTOR LUCIEN SERTIN. 

